The last time Putin went missing he reemerged with a seemingly less wrinkled face

This is not the first time, however, that the Russian leader has briefly gone missing. The last time he slipped out of the public spotlight was in 2010. On his reemergence a few days later, something had indeed appeared to have changed: his face.

During his usual press rounds Putin's face appeared puffier than usual and despite heavy makeup used to disguise it, almost all the media present during his press appearances reported that he was sporting a black eye.

This immediately started rumours that the Russian leader had undergone cosmetic surgery, sparking the hashtag #Ботокс (#botox) across Russian social media.

Here's the transformation in pictures:

REUTERS

The president's spokespeople denied the allegations, saying that the supposed black eye was merely the result of unfortunate lighting and Putin's heavy travel schedule causing him to seem tired. The denials seemed farcical to most observers but clearly the Kremlin has decided that even a minor accident would not be allowed to dent the carefully honed strongman image of the Russian leader.

To underline that message, three days later Putin allowed photographers to accompany him on an expedition to Ubsunur Hollow Biosphere Preserve to inspect the habitat of the endangered snow leopard. This time there was no mistake with the lighting as he sported a pair of out-sized sunglasses at all times:

Of course, given the uncertainty that his absence is causing it seems highly unlikely that the figurehead of the Russian state would disappear for such minor reasons. Yet the jocular rumours carry with them a serious message — in the absence of any official explanation for his disappearances even the most outlandish can get airplay. And these are not helpful to the image that Russia presents abroad.

The botox theory perfectly sends up this culture of needless secrecy. Putin's reappearance today at the Konstantinovsky palace, after being out of public view since March 5, should put an end to fodder for conspiracy nuts.